the economy is growing. instead of contracting. in the first quarter of 2009, the gdp contracted 5.3%. it grew 3.1% when the last time it was officially measured. though remains below where it was before the great recession, consumer confidence has nearly doubled. and a larger percentage of americans, 41%, according to our last poll, believe the country is headed in the right direction, up from 26% in january, 2009. on the other hand, there is plenty of data to support the idea that the drink country is not better off than it was four years ago. and that the struggling economy continues to take a toll on families. median household income is lower than it was in 2009. and 46 million americans live below the poverty line. several million more than four years ago. the federal public debt has increased from 10.6 trillion in january 2009 to 16.4 trillion now. then there's the big number that's exactly the same as it was four years ago. the unemployment rate. 7.8%. though it's down from, of course, a high of 10% in october of 2009. few o